In the special Senate election in Massachusetts, Representative Edward J. Markey, the Democratic nominee, starts with a strong lead over Gabriel Gomez, the Republican, according to a new poll from Suffolk University.    

Safety violations, potential violations in protecting codes and basic attitude problems were cited as reasons for the action.    

After two years of stalemate on how to spur job creation and slash deficits, the consensus is that fiscal tightening has been a drag on economic recovery.    

Officials looking into the personal records of Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, who ran the Air Force’s sexual assault prevention and response branch, have found no sign of trouble.    

The group that released the tape, Live Action, claims remarks made by a prominent provider of late-term procedures were inhumane.    

Ariel Castro was a highly engaged user of Facebook, but his posts offer no hint of a disturbed mind or of the horrifying secret he kept for more than a decade in his Cleveland home.    

Frustrated by the pace of the investigation into the killing of Marco W. McMillian, a Mississippi mayoral candidate, his family is demanding that federal authorities step in.    

After finding their captivity in Iran three decades ago seemingly forgotten, they now see hope in a 17-year battle for compensation.    

The advocacy group Fwd.Us, created by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and others, has shocked some liberals with its tactics in a campaign to support immigration reform.    

Ariel Castro is accused of imprisoning Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight in his house for years.    

Lawmakers of both parties and in both chambers of Congress are moving to introduce legislation seeking to prevent and to better prosecute abuses.    

Labor and liberal advocacy groups are fighting a potential sale of The Los Angeles Times and other newspapers to David H. Koch and his brother Charles G. Koch.    

The company said it stopped new sales and marketing of Alert Energy Caffeine Gum as the Food and Drug Administration investigates the safety of added caffeine.    

A day before a Senate committee was to take up a bill, a 2009 dissertation by a Heritage Foundation analyst added fuel to the debate.    

The measure passed in a Legislature controlled by Democrats and buoyed by an influx of young Latino lawmakers.    

A Census Bureau survey also found that Hispanics and Asians continue to turn out at much lower rates than other groups, and that women turn out at higher rates than men.    

Senators have proposed an immigration bill that could give a legal second chance to tens of thousands of deportees.    

The Times’s Serge F. Kovaleski talks about the decisions made by bystanders like Angel Cordero to help the release of three women held against their will in Cleveland.    

Prudence in using your phone can help thwart thieves, and there are ways to protect your information in the event the phone is stolen.    

Data being released for the first time shows that hospitals charge Medicare vastly differing amounts for the same procedures, often far above what the program typically reimburses.